I have gotten a few requests recently to do a what I eat in a day post and how to eat healthy without killing yourself. Let me just start with a little disclaimer, I do not claim to be a nutritionist, this is just what I have learned from being really into health and food. On a normal week day I will eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, a lot of lean protein from greek yogurt, eggs, nuts, beans, and sometimes fish, and get most of my complex carbs from grains. In terms of macros I try to stick to 50% carbs, 20% fats, and 30% protein and eat about 17,000 net calories a day (calories in - calories burned working out) I personally do not ever track my calories because it takes away the enjoyment of food, but if you are trying to lose weight it can be helpful to count to understand portion control better. Just being more aware of your calorie intake and nutrition can help a lot, and it actually how I lost 15 lbs. Another thing to note is that I try to workout 3-4 times a week so how much I eat could change depending on how much I burn so here is just a sample what I eat in a day! BREAKFAST Okay so I don't actually know if breakfast is the most important meal of the day for everyone but I know I need to eat breakfast to keep me going. I don't like to wake up and have a big carb heavy breakfast first thing in the morning so I like to keep it small but effective with my little protein parfait. It is simply a half cup of 0% greek yogurt, a handful of berries, about 1/4 cup granola (my favorite is Honey Almond from Bear Naked), drizzle of honey, and a few nuts. (about 270 calories) If I don't want this then I will have some oatmeal with basically the same toppings. This is pretty easy and honestly the hardest part is cutting up strawberries. LUNCH My lunch varies a lot but I try to keep it quick because I am usually rushing off to school or work. To make it easier I will meal prep some veggies (easy-vegetarian-meal-prep.html) eat or reuse leftovers in the fridge, eat frozen meals (my favorites are from Sweet Earth or Amy's because they are healthy and pretty tasty) or microwavable nourish bowls. If I am using my already prepped vegetables I will add them to a salad, grains, or with eggs. Today I chose to use some roasted purple potatoes and spinach in an omelette with cheddar cheese and loaded up with Cholula on top. TIP: I always make omelettes with two egg whites and one yolk because it makes it more substantial than just egg whites, but cuts out a lot of the calories, cholesterol, and fat in the yolk. SNACK I have a smoothie or smoothie bowl pretty much everyday and it changes depending on what I want at work or what I have at home. Check out this post from a while ago on some smoothie bowl recipes (diy-acai.html). Today I loaded up on my greens by blending up frozen bananas, mangos, strawberries, spinach, and green juice. Then topped it with bananas, strawberries, honey, and granola. Honestly I didn't really like this because it had so much green juice but I'm just trying to be healthy hehe DINNER Dinner is my biggest meal of the day, and thankfully it is normally made for me, this also means I don't know everything that goes in it, but I'm guessing it is around 400-600 calories. This also varies, but always has a good amount of veggies, grains or pasta, and occasionally fish. This night I had butternut squash and asparagus risotto. TIP: make risotto in a pressure cooker! it's so simple and turns out perfect! Okay so I admit I have a sweet tooth and need a little sweet snack after dinner, however I try to keep it small like fruit or a little bit of chocolate so that it doesn't hurt my stomach eating too close to going to bed. (50-200 cals)
That's basically what I eat in a day! Let me know if you want to see some of my go to workouts or other posts I should do!
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If you are looking for new, supper healthy, and easy breakfast idea for the new year look no further! Chia pudding is great to meal prep ahead of time and keeps in the fridge for a week. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, protein and keep you full longer because they expand in your stomach. I built all of my recipes off this base recipe feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/3-ingredient-chia-pudding/
STRAWBERRY GRANOLA Adding granola or oats to your chia pudding gives a nice change in texture and reminds you of overnight oats! This recipe is also supper easy because all you need to do is mix up the classic chia seed pudding recipe and add a small handful of granola and a strawberry on top. What you need: (2 servings) 1 cup coconut milk 2 large strawberries handful of your favorite granola 3 tbsp chia seeds 2 tsp honey MANGO TURMERIC This pudding combines the wonderful taste and sweetness of mango with the health properties of turmeric! Turmeric has many benefits, namely being anti-inflammatory, helping your liver and digestion, and lowering the risk of many kinds of cancer. What you need: (2 servings) Handful of frozen mangos 1 cup coconut milk 1/2 tsp turmeric tiny bit of black pepper (activates the turmeric) 2 tsp honey 3 tbsp chia seeds pinch cayenne pepper (optional) Start by making a smoothie base with mangos, coconut milk, turmeric, pepper, and honey; mix in chia seeds and top with fresh mango (optional), and if you want a mango chile flavor add a pinch of cayenne! CHOCOLATE BANANA RASPBERRY Chia pudding can be enjoyed any time of day and if you are looking for a great dessert option this is a great choice! Dark chocolate actually has many health benefits, coupled with good sugars from fruits and potassium in the banana. What you need: ( 2 servings) 1/2 tbsp Cocoa powder 1 banana 1 cup almond milk 3 tsp honey 6 raspberries 4 tablespoons chia seeds First blend banana, cocoa, honey, and almond milk in blender, mix with 4 table spoons of chia seeds, and top with fresh raspberries!
Start by mixing honey, chia seeds, almond milk, and vanilla together and simply top with nuts and berries. Like always store overnight to let thicken. COFFEE CHIA PUDDING This is a great option if you are short on time in the morning and want a quick breakfast on the go! Getting your morning caffeine and a filling meal, and very easily prepared ahead of time. What you need: ( 2 servings) 2 small dates (optional) 1 cup coffee 1/2 cup almond milk 3 tsp honey 4 tbsp chia seeds Start by brewing coffee and then blend milk, dates, coffee, and honey together in a blender, after simply mix in chia seeds and let thicken in fridge overnight! When it comes to savory vs sweet, I'm sweet all the way! When halloween comes around it takes all of my control to not eat all of the candy filling up the shelves. In order to come to a compromise I have scoured the internet to find some "healthy", vegan, and EASY recipes as replacements. (I put healthy in quotations here because these still contain a lot of fat and shouldn't really be eaten all the time but they are 10x more healthy than any processed candy you can buy. ALMOND JOY These are really easy to make and are one of my personal favorite candies!
TWIX This one is a bit harder as it requires extra baking steps but I really liked how these turned out.
PEPPERMINT PATTIES These are pretty easy to make they just require a little bit of extra pre prep time.
If you don't have a silicone mold, put small strips of parchment paper down in your tin and then fill the mold with your mixture and then chill. After throughly chilled, cover with chocolate and you are done! REESE'S CUPS These are the easiest candies to make because there really is only 2 things you need for this, melted chocolate and peanut butter. ( I also made some with almond butter) At the end of the day however, if you want some halloween candy, eat some freaking halloween candy.
Meal prepping is great in so many ways! It makes eating convenient, saves you money from not going out to eat, and keeps you from eating junk. I chose to just meal prep lunch and dinner but meal prepping works for any and every meal! so here are just a few SUPPER EASY ideas for meal prep. ROASTED VEGGIES These are pretty easy and customizable, you can put any kind of seasoning on it, and put it over a base of your choice. What you need: rice/quinoa/spinach for base peppers, carrots, zucchini, and onions spices-(for Mexican flare- chipotle pepper, chili pepper, and cumin) ( for Mediterranean flare- paprika and garlic powder) toppings: salsa, cilantro, tahini Directions: pre heat oven to 400 degrees cut veggies in as close to equal sized pieces put into pan and top with olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices Bake for 20 mins put it over the base of your choice and you're done! can be eaten warm or cold VEGGIES AND HUMUS This is even easier to prep because it requires no cooking or time at all. All that you need to do is cut up vegetables of your choice (ex. cucumbers, peppers, or carrots) and keep in the fridge ready to go when you want it for a light lunch or snack on the go. ICED COFFEE For me personally I actually prefer iced coffee over hot coffee, on top of that this method makes mornings much easier because I don't have to wait on coffee to brew. Directions: brew 10oz of the coffee of your choice, let cool a bit, and then pour into a large mason jar and place in the fridge to keep cold and fresh.
GRAB AND GO PRODUCTS TO HAVE
Although this isn't really meal prep, it still falls into the category of easy food to have on the go. For example: Fruit, granola bars, and bottled drinks like tea. My favorite kind of bars are Larabars or Kashi bars, and apples are great fruit to bring because they don't get gross and mushy. (although I did also include nectarines and bananas) I NEVER skip breakfast! I love to wake up and have either greek yogurt topped with granola and fresh fruit or oat meal topped with fruit and nuts. Oh and can't forget my morning cup of coffee! Most days I like to have a snack of vegetables and humus or a smoothie bowl, make sure to check out my blog post on açaí bowls--> diy-acai.html As for dinner, it ranges, however it always includes lots of vegetables and grains. This was a pineapple, tofu sweet and sour dish with brown rice.
Now that fall is in full swing I am LIVING for everything fall themed! So I thought it would be fitting to do fall themed foods for every meal! BREAKFAST MAPLE PECAN PLUM OATMEAL This one is supper easy, especially if you use instant maple oat meal. Just top with pecans (taste better toasted), fresh plum, and cinnamon (I really like blackberries on top as well!) pair with pumpkin spice latte and have yourself a cozy morning breakfast. LUNCH APPLE BEET SALAD WITH FIG APPLE GRILLED CHEESE Perfect for a weekend lunch or drop the sandwich for a light healthy lunch! For salad: 1 small red apple 2 pickled/ pre-made beets hand full of walnuts and feta cheese cup of fresh greens ( I used spinach) top with vinaigrette or any dressing you prefer For sandwich: half green apple fig jelly provolone cheese cheddar cheese 2 pieces of bread DINNER POMEGRANATE CAYENNE ACORN SQUASH Can be used as a side for Thanksgiving or any weeknight! Super easy and ready in minutes for all your ideal fall dinners! What you'll need: 1 acorn squash seeds from 1 pomegranate 2 tbsp coconut sugar 2 tsp cayenne and cinnamon olive oil for drizzling and for the pan Pre heat oven at 400 cut and gut the squash- save the seeds if you want to roast them! drizzle with olive oil and dust coconut sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, salt and pepper. roast for 18-20 mins- take out half way and flip and dust more coconut sugar on top plate and top with pomegranate seeds! DESERT CARROT CAKE SMOOTHIE End a fall themed day of food with the perfect desert that will taste wayyy too good to be healthy! What you'll need:
1 medium carrot 2 frozen bananas almond milk pumpkin spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) top with whipped cream and coconut sugar! Although I normally eat a vegetarian diet- I don't mind eating sea food in places where I know it's good- in this case the Monterey Bay. So here are some of my favorite places I ate at while in the Bay. PACIFIC GROVE Had some pretty amazing cod here ( you can find really good fresh cod almost anywhere in Monterey bay). You will find lots of cute boutiques and upscale dining- just a short walk from Monterey. PHIL'S FISH MARKET Located farther up the coast, Phil's is still something to check out. It is a little bit of a tourist attraction after winning Food Networks "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" but still earns it title with delicious seafood CHOICES MATTER
Many of the sea food you eat are farmed and harvested in an inhumane manner- making smarter decisions on what we buy and eat can save species. For more information check out SEAFOODWATCH.ORG founded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. let's talk Açaí bowls. Why are they so expensive? Why are they so trendy? Where can you find one? like everyone else, I had bought into the trend. However I noticed that I was spending $6-$16 on smoothie bowls! Instead, I have been OBSESSED with making my own bowls recently. All you need is a few key ingredients and you have a world of possibilities!
You can make any kind of bowl that you like from here, but I am going to share two of my recipes! JUST DON'T ADD TOO MUCH LIQUID!! you want a thick ice cream consistency so DO NOT add as much liquid as you normally would for a normal smoothie. PROTEIN powerIsland sunsetBasically, while in Italy, my three food groups were pasta, gelato, and apricots. Eating in Italy can be a little over whelming because there are restaurants everywhere you look that serve about the same things, but here is my little list of tips and tricks to finding the best places to eat! 1) DON'T EAT IN TOURISTY AREAS! now this one should be a given, but you should never eat in touristy areas because the food never seems to be as good and its much more expensive. Instead look for places in ally ways and side streets to find the hidden local spots. 2) The less languages the better! If you see a menu with a bunch of languages and pictures it is a major red flag, it means you aren't getting an authentic Italian meal, your getting a tourist version. Instead look for menus that are all Italian and only have a small amount of english subtitles. 3)GO SMALL! If you want real traditional Italian with homemade pasta mom and pop shop, you need to find the little restaurants on the side streets, DO NOT go for the restaurants with huge outdoor seating areas that are trying to pack in as many tourists as possible. 4)Go to the markets! if you want to feel like a real Italian check out the local farmers markets and pick up some fresh fruits, you can normally get a bunch of stuff for cheap and most of the items are different then what we find here in the states. VENICE BENTIGODI L'OSTERIA DI CHEF DOMENICO- this place was absolutely amazing! pretty pricy but absolutely worth it and the chef and staff were amazing!! I have no idea what the name of this place was but I do know this was the best gelato we had the entire trip!! FLORENCE I don't know what it was but florence had the best food of the entire trip! here are some of my favorite places DON NINO- this place also has four locations in Rome as well and I would highly recommend it TRATTORIA AL TREBBIO This was a really cute place with a very nice staff! RISTORANTE LA GROTTA GUELFA ROMA PIZZARIUM- this place has real authentic Italian pizza and is located in a neighborhood where you won't find any tourists, it really makes you feel like a local! VENCHI- these stores are located all over Italy and are so pretty are are definitely something to check out!! |